Educational appliance



W. P. LCKY. EDUCAUONL APPLNCE.

APPucATmNrILED nic. H, 1919.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

SU um di m2: .SL

...EL .15,55 NE.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM PRESCOTT LECKY, Oli' RICHMOND,

VIRGINIA.

EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE.

Application filed December 11, 1919. Serial No.

.To all 'whom it may concern.'

lle it known that I, WILLIAM Pnnsoo'r'r lisent?, a citizen of the United States of america, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Educational Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to educational appliances, and more particularly to means for teaching the grammatical construction of languages.

The specific object of the invention is to devise a system for teaching the meaning of the diiferent tenses of verlos, and to show the time relation of the actions which such tenses define.

To this end I propose to employ a series of pictures, printed on paper, card hoard, or "the lilie, all showing the same objects, but the successive pictures illustrating these oh jects in progressively different relations or conditions. Each picture has associated therewith a phrase or sentence, printed or written on the paper or card, such phrases all containing the same verh, but employing different tenses thereof, to define the action illustrated hy the corresponding pictures.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, and in which i Figs. l, 2 and 3 represent sheets of paper or the like, each hearing pictures and printu ed matter arranged in accordance with my invention. Figs. l and 2 illustrate examples oil' transitive and intransitive verlos, respec tively, in the active voice, while Fig. 3 shows a verh in passive voice.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Fim il shows a sheet or card A divided by transverse lines c into three sections or panels, 1, 2 and 3. By way of illustrating an active transitive verh, I have selected the familiar scene of a woman engaged in washing clothes. rfhe pictures include the representation of a clothes line, a wash tub, a hashet of clothes, and a woman. In section l, the woman is shown as approaching the tuh, carrying the basket of clothes. It is ohvious what action is contemplated or is about to occur. The woman will wash the clothes is a phrase which aptly states what the picture represents, and this phrase, containing a verb in the future tense, is printed Specification of Letters Patent.

lilatented Fels. 1, 19.2"

or written on section l, so as to he associated with the picture thereon.

Section 2 depicts the next step in the de velopment of the idea, which step naturally follows the This step is the actual :arrying out of the action contemplated in the preceding picture. To the question. What is the woman doingl, which might he propounded hy the teacher, the answer readily suggests itself-rt:` he is washing the clothes.7 This phrase, therefore, containing the verb in. the present tense, is printed on section 2.

The third picture of the series shows the action suggested and illustrated, respec tively, hy the first two pictures, as having heen entirely accomplished or completed. In section 3 the woman is depicted as in the act of hanging the clothes on the line.

Therefore, She has washed the clothes,

and this phrase, containing the verh in the perfect tense, is associated with the third picture.

It will loe noted that the tenses of the verbs are presented in this order,future, present, and perfect; and I have determined that this is the natural and logical sequence. The mind of the student readily follows the succession of ideas from an action about to occur, to the action actually taking place, and then to the same action completed or iinisheo; a time interval occurring between each stage of the action represented, and l have found that the meaning of the tenses is much more easily grasped in this way.

In Fig. 2, I have illustrated the same principle applied to an active intransitive verh. The figure shows a sheet B, divided by transverse lines b into panels or sections ll, 12 and 13. The first section depicts a man cutting a tree with an axe. The question naturally arises as to what will happen after the action has heen continued for a certain time interval. The answer is cThe tree will fall. This phrase therefore is used. In section l2, the tree is shown as in the act `of falling, and the words The tree is falling are associated with the picture. After a brief time interval, the action is completed, and the third picture, on section 13, shows that The tree has fallen.

In Fig. 3, I have shown an example of a verb in the passive voice. The sheet C is divided by. transverse lines c into three panels o r sections 2l, 22 and 23, as in the Gti preceding figures. The subject adopted is that of a girl having her hair eut. In the first section is seen the barber with conib and scissors in hand, about to begin the operation of cutting Marys hair. lith this picture is associated the phrase Marys hair Will be cut. The second section shows the barber in the act orp cutting the hair, and this section bears the phrase It is being out. The third section depicts the vcondition of' the subject after the hair has been cut, that is, after the operation has been completed. Therefore, in connection with lthis picture appears the phrase it has been cut. it Will vbe noted that in the last two seetions in Figs. l and 3 the pronoun has been substituted for the noun, as subject of the sentence, While in Fig. 2 the noun is used throughout. l contemplate using either or both ot these methods, as may appear desirable. While in the illustrations given in the drawings, the thirdr person singular has been employed, it will, of course, be understood that the third person plural, and the iirst and second person, singular or plural, can be handled in the same VWay.

While I have shown the three pictures ot a series as printed on different panels or sections of the saine sheet, it is, of' course,

obvious that l may, it preferred, form the pictures on separate sheets or cards.

It is apparent that the range and variety of subjects which can be treated almost unlimited, and it will be secu that my invention aiiiords a ready and logical means ior teaching the principles of a language, andespecially the time relation and meaning oi the different tensesl of verbs.

Vhat l claim is An improved means lor teaching the tenses of verbs, the saine consisting of a series of pictures all showingthe saine ol jects, the iirst picture of the series illustrating an action about to occur, the second representing such action as actually taking place, and the third illustratingsuch action as completed, and descriptive matter associated With each picture, said matter conlprising a phrase containing a Verb in the iuture tense or the lirst picture, a similar phrase containing` the same verb in the present tense tor the second picture, and a sinnlar phrase containingthe same verb in the perfect tense for the third picture.

in testimony whereof I have allixed in v signature in presence of two Witnesses.

TILLI AM .PR E SC OTT E CK i.' Witnesses ROBERT Sorranrnn, F RED L. NnsBITT. 

